Chelsea Pan, Lucy Tang, Samantha Xing

Chapter 3 Macromolecules Pd 2

3.1 Organic and Inorganic Molecules

Organic: molecules that have a carbon skeleton and also contain some
hydrogen atoms
Inorganic: carbon dioxide and all molecules without carbon (such as
water)

3.2 Dehydration Synthesis and Hydrolysis

dehydration synthesis: when water molecules are formed to combine

monomers
hydrolysis: when water molecules are broken apart to split polymer

3.3 What are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates: molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Monosaccharides
carbohydrate that contains one sugar molecule
backbone is usually three to seven carbon atoms
short life span in a cell
most monosaccharides are either broken down to free their
chemical energy for use in cellular activities or are linked by
dehydration synthesis to form disaccharides or polysaccharides
ex: glucose, fructose, galactose, ribose and deoxyribose
glucose: 6 carbons
galactose: part of lactose
ribose: parts of genetic molecule called RNA
deoxyribose: parts of genetic molecule called DNA
Disaccharide
often used for short-term energy storage
ex: sucrose, lactose and maltose
sucrose= glucose+fructose
maltose=glucose+glucose3
when energy is required, disaccharides are broken down into
monosaccharides by hydrolysis
Polysaccharide
ex: starch, glycogen and cellulose
starch: polysaccharide that helps plants store food
glycogen: polysaccharide located in the liver and muscles of
animals 3as an energy source
cellulose: important structural polysaccharide, makes up most of
the cell walls of plants
cellulose is a polymer of glucose, however only a few microbes
can digest cellulose3
chitin: exoskeletons of insects, crabs, and spiders are made of this

polysaccharide

3.4 What are Lipids?

features: hydrophobic and insoluble in water
three major groups
oils, fats and waxes:contains one or more fatty acid subunits
phospholipids
steroids
oils and fats
are formed by dehydration synthesis from three fatty acids and
one glycerol (triglycerides)
a double bond between two carbons in fatty acid subunit creates
a kink in the chain
high concentration of chemical energy and used for long-term
energy storage
differences:
fats are solid at room temp <-> oils are liquid at room
temp
fats are saturated <-> oils are unsaturated
saturated-fatty acids with all single bonds in
carbon chains & has as many hydrogens as
possible
unsaturated-fatty acids with double bonds and
fewer hydrogens (double bonds create kinks that
keep molecules apart)
oil can be converted into fat by replacing double bonds with
single bonds & adding hydrogens to remaining positions->
hydrogenated oil (trans fat)
waxes
chemically similar to fat but no a food source
highly saturated and solid at outdoor temperatures
waterproofing
phospholipids
2 fatty acid attached to a phosphate group with a short polar
functional group
tails are insoluble in water and
head is water soluble
steroids
four rings of carbon fused
together with various
functional groups sticking out

of them
cholesterol

3.5 What Are Proteins?

proteins: contain one or more chains of amino acids
enzymes: type of proteins
amino acids
consists of 4 different functional groups: nitrogen-containing
amino group, carboxyl/carboxylic acid group, hydrogen, and
variable group
R group differs among amino acids, giving distinctive properties
20 different types, can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic
disulfide bridges: link different polypeptide chains together, causing
proteins to bend
peptide synthesis: dehydration, nitrogen of amino group joins the
carbon in the carboxyl group by single covalent bond, called the peptide
bond, forming a peptide
proteins 4 levels of structures
primary structure: sequence of amino acids linked by peptide
bonds
secondary structure: maintained by hydrogen bonds
helix: coiled, spring-like structure
pleated sheet: polypeptide chains that fold back upon
themselves
tertiary structures: folding of proteins, creating a 3-D structure;
can have hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, disulfide bridges
quaternary structure: individual polypeptides linked together

 denatured: when secondary and tertiary structures of a protein are

altered (peptide bonds between amino acids intact) and it wont be able
to perform its function
can be caused by temperature, salt concentration, and pH

3.6 What are Nucleic Acids?

nucleic acids: long chains of similar nucleotides

nucleotides: have a 3 part structure [5 carbon sugar (ribose or
deoxyribose), phosphate group, nitrogen-containing base]
covalent bonds between nucleotides form nucleic acids (phosphate,
sugar, phosphate, sugar, etc)
2 types of nucleic acids
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): chains of deoxyribose nucleotides,
construct proteins of organisms
ribonucleic acid (RNA): chains of ribose nucleotides, carries DNA
into cells cytoplasm and directs the synthesis of proteins
cyclic nucleotides: single nucleotides that may or may not be part of
other molecules, but arent part of nucleic acids, intracellular
messengers that carry chemical signals from the plasma membrane to
other molecules in the cell
ATP is a nucleotide with more than one phosphate group, which makes
it an unstable molecule that carries energy, stored in bonds between the
phosphate groups
coenzymes: type of nucleotide that assists enzymes in their role of
promoting and guiding chemical reactions